Wooded
by dirtydeedsdonedirtcheap
Summary: Susan Bones is a creature of the night.


**Wooded**

Susan Bones is a creature of the night.

She doesn't like sunlight. The yellow-orange rays are too light and hurt her eyes. She doesn't enjoy the humdrum of everyday life either. Susan doesn't know exactly how she became this way. Maybe it was out of fear during the Hogwarts reign of terror when real monsters roamed the halls in the daylight.

After the war she felt shattered. She had no family. No one to help her properly mourn those she had long been in shock over that were gone. The Bones family lived up to their name, all buried six feet under, rotting, decaying.

She rarely sleeps. Opting instead to drink endless cups of coffee to keep her awake. Her colleagues liked to joke her room smelled like a cafe and asked her when she was going to start selling croissants.

She rarely went home to her empty flat and instead slept in her office, sprawled out uncomfortably on a small lopsided brown settee. She often found herself tossing and turning at night, thinking of her family.

Her office was always dark. Only one candle was lit even though it was late at night. The others had gone home hours ago. Some shuffled around in their cubicles, finishing up last minute projects and pouring over pieces of parchment with tired and strained eyes.

If her Aunt Amelia could see her now she would roll over in her grave.

Susan wasn't a coward. She wasn't _entirely_ alone. She had her books and her friends but she didn't want to interact with them. They got their happy endings. Relationships, real job opportunities. All Susan wanted was to hole up and stay out of the limelight. She didn't want to hear the whispers or see the stares, the looks of pity.

_Poor Susan, entire family gone. Fought in the battle but no proper prospects. Just coasting by, why Amelia… _

Contrary to popular belief she wasn't like her dead Aunt.

"At least I'm alive," Susan whispered bitterly to herself. "What good does that do anyone?"

Susan pushed back her red hair with her hand, biting a quill and squinting at the words she was trying to decipher. A knock at her door didn't make her lose concentration. It was Thursday and Thursday meant the same visitor.

Except this Thursday was different. It was harder.

"Susie?" Justin called out. His voice was loud and made her heart thump in her chest nervously. She swallowed, collecting herself and tried not to think of the two dimples that appeared on his face when he smiled at her.

"Susan Bones, I know you can hear me. Every Thursday," he muttered to himself. "Hard headed woman…"

Susan rolled her eyes and tried for a final time to read the words before her but it was no use.

"Hello, Justin," she said quietly. She placed her papers down on the floor and suddenly felt self-conscious as she looked up, Justin was staring directly at her. Momentarily she cursed herself for not brushing her hair but she never did, no matter how much she told herself to look presentable every Thursday.

"What an unexpected surprise," she said sarcastically, eyeing him.

She couldn't remember exactly when Justin had turned into someone she found herself blushing over. Justin Finch-Fletchley was her anchor. He wore funny looking ties with different food items, themed ones for holidays and animals she wasn't quite sure were fictional or real. He said he liked to look 'fun' and his ties worked as icebreakers.

Justin took a seat in a leather chair opposite her desk and handed her a takeout carton. She greedily accepted it. It was always the same thing every Thursday, chicken with some sort of vegetable and rice doused with a brown liquid that made the food mushy and almost look like it was one thing instead of several.

"So," he started slowly, tapping his fingers against her desk, "you didn't show up last night."

Susan shrugged, eyes cast downward. Justin rarely pushed her to talk or do anything unless it was important to him and lately everything seemed to be important to Justin. She tried to put in the effort but he wanted to celebrate every little thing in life. A promotion, a new relationship, buying sheets for his bed.

"I don't feel like fighting with you. Not today."

He sighed loudly. "Susan, she's your best friend and you haven't spoken to her in four months. Hannah is in love. She's happy. She wants to share that with you, with all of us."

"I just didn't feel up to it."

He leaned back into his chair and Susan could tell he was annoyed. He crossed his arms against his chest and glared at her.

"You can't ignore everyone forever."

"I'm not," she said hotly. "I'm just doing it for a little while."

He groaned. "What do you do after work? You don't talk to anyone. You don't do anything. I'm starting to worry about you. No, I _always_ worry about you. I think you might need help."

She bit the inside of her cheek and stared at the container of her food. No, what she needed was for him to stop nagging her. What she wanted was one last moment in her mother's arms and to hug her Aunt a little longer than necessary to smell her rosemary-scented shampoo.

"I'm perfectly fine," she whispered.

Though she knew it was a lie. She was not.

"Susan—"

"We're not all like you, okay?" she snapped. "I can't just pretend the war didn't happen or that we won so everything is automatically okay again. I go home and I'm alone. I go to work and I'm alone. I spend the majority of my time and my life alone and is it sad? Yes. Is it ideal? No. You're lucky. You go home and get to visit your family on weekends and see them on holidays and hug them when you can. I hug _gravestones_. I have conversations with bones that can't speak back."

She was shouting at him but she didn't care. For once she was allowed to yell. To let all her anger and bitterness out for the night. Justin might have been her best friend but he didn't get it. Life was one big adventure for him. Everything had worked out.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Susan finally eating her food again, a scowl on her face.

"Susan, you know you're more than welcome to spend time with my family and everyone else's," he said softly.

She sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That's not the point Justin. I'm not ready. Its only been a year and a half. I'm just not ready, why can't you accept that? You only make me feel worse."

She instantly regretted putting pressure on him. It wasn't his fault. He was just trying to help. Susan knew that but sometimes his help did more harm than good.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I'm a bad friend."

"I'm sorry," he said again, this time with more force. "I shouldn't push you. As if today isn't hard enough."

"Of course," Susan said bitterly. "Of course you know."

He shrugged sheepishly and ran a hand through his soft dark hair. "It's all over the papers."

"Ah," because that's all she could say. She avoided the papers as much as she could preferring to get lost in ancient books and documents.

"I just wanted to be there for you," he said, stretching. "What are you doing after work? I'm invading your space and coming over. I'm going to sleep on your floor."

"I've got plans."

He rolled his eyes in the darkness, not believing her. "Do you have any room for a plus one? Preferably a bloke with dark hair, a chiseled chin and warm brown eyes that brings you take-out that clogs your arteries?"

Susan smiled shyly, eyes warming for the first time that night. "Always."

-x-

It was breezy and Susan wished she had brought a light sweater or jacket with her but they were already running behind schedule. Justin groaned as another twig snapped underneath him and cursed as his foot fell into a puddle of mud.

"What exactly are we doing?" he asked tiredly.

Susan didn't answer right away. She leaned forward and grabbed a low branch and pushed it out of her way, signaling for Justin to crouch and walk past it.

"Just calm down," she said quietly.

He turned around to face her, an annoyed expression on his sweaty face.

"We're in the dark roaming around the woods. You won't even let me—"

"No light," she said, pointing at his wand. "There's enough light. Just follow the moon and the stars."

"Exactly," he said bitterly. "We could get bitten by a werewolf."

She rolled her eyes and extended her hand towards him. "Take my hand. I know where we're going. It's perfectly safe."

His clammy large hand gripped hers and for a moment she felt a sense of warmth fill her body.

"I could have at least changed," he mumbled to himself.

"I'm wearing heels. Do you want to switch?"

She didn't have to turn around to know Justin was probably mocking her and sticking his tongue out at her for the comment. She knew him too well.

"No," he said grumpily. "When you said you had plans I didn't think a midnight hike through the woods was your idea of fun."

"It'll be worth it. Just trust me. Look."

They could hear voices and Justin gripped his wand with his free hand, on high alert. After another five-minute trek towards a wooded area they passed through a pair of hanging trees that opened up to a small clearing.

There were groups of people sitting on blankets and chatting animatedly with each other. Most were middle aged with wrinkled skin and salt-and-pepper hair.

"Who are all these people?" he whispered.

Susan said nothing as she led him further into the clearing but was stopped by an old man who threw his hands in the air at the sight of her.

"Ah! Miss Bones!" he shouted with excitement. There was a large welcoming smile on his face and he removed a baseball cap he was wearing, bowing down to her. "So glad you could make it."

"Thank you Henry," she said gently.

This was the most Justin had seen her interact with someone in the last six months. Susan looked happier but there was still a hint of sadness in her voice and her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I made sure no one touched your spot just like you asked but everyone knew," he said somberly.

Susan nodded. "Thank you. This is Justin."

Henry beamed at him and put his hand out for a shake.

"Hello Justin! I'm afraid there's no more time for pleasantries or small talk. We only have a few minutes left. Better run along lovebirds."

"We're not—" Susan started to object, wanting to explain who Justin really was. Her cheeks were flushed and she was thankful it was dark enough that no one would notice.

"Shoo!" Henry shouted. "Shoo!"

Justin followed her as she picked up the pace and led him past the other sitting people to their own corner up front.

"Who was he?" he asked with a laugh.

"He was a friend of my Aunt. She used to bring me up here every year. The first time I didn't understand either."

Justin shook his head and took a seat beside her on the grass. "To hike through the woods and up a hill. Ah, you Bones'."

Susan shrugged and pulled out a blade of grass, rubbing it between her hands. "It's her birthday tradition. You don't have to stay," she said quietly.

Justin cursed to himself. "Susan, I'm sorry. I'm just joking."

"I know." She paused and pursed her lips together before saying something else, lost in thought. "Have you ever head of the moon flower?"

He gave her a puzzled look, brows furrowed. "Err…"

She grinned. "It's okay. Many haven't. It blooms at night once a year at midnight."

"Because of magic?"

She shook her head. "No, because of nature. Everyone used to tell Auntie Amelia she was such a powerful witch. She received so many accolades but she was a simple person. She always said there were bigger things out there than her, more amazing. Seeing the flower bloom kept her grounded."

Justin nodded. The one subject that was always off limits was her family. She hadn't spoken about them in so long Justin was unsure of what to say. He watched as Susan let the blade of grass drop from her hands. She gave him a sideways smile, sitting cross-legged, elbow resting on her leg, propping up her head.

"And how does it make you feel?" he asked carefully.

Her blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight and her smile widened. "Like she's here with me. I feel a little less lonely."

Justin said nothing but nudged her and laced his fingers into hers.

"It's happening," she whispered.

The night was quiet. The chatter instantly stopped around them. Since Justin and Susan were in the front but off to the left, a few meters from the flower, they could see it starting to bloom ever so slowly.

Justin held his breath and Susan squeezed his hand as white petals started to appear. For a second it stopped and resembled a star and then gently opened up into full bloom.

It was like magic. No, it was better than magic because there were no forces behind it. The flower bloomed because it could.

Everyone started to move around them and as they passed some nudged Susan, saying hello.

She smiled genuinely and turned to Justin who looked blown away.

"That was amazing," he said. "Happy birthday, Amelia Bones."

"Happy birthday indeed."

She grinned and leaned against him, still staring at the white petals of the flower and listening to the slight thump of his heart beating in his chest. Susan liked the idea that it would still bloom even after her beloved Aunt was gone.

Justin wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead gently.

Susan Bones is a creature of the night but Justin Finch-Fletchley is her light.

**Author's Note:**** My fingers itched for the first time in many years and a Susan Bones story was a result of that. I have mixed feelings about this piece. Mainly because I was going to write a novel about Justin and Susan but I'm planning on doing NaNo and I already have one novel in the works and two plot ideas for NaNo. I didn't need a third looming over my head. So I wrote this instead. I really love Susan. She's a sweetheart. Let me know in a review what you think/thought of the story. **


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